Diary of a 17 y/o with an 850

shihabafi · Post by **shihabafi** » 25 Dec 2018, 07:22

misha wrote: 23 Dec 2018, 17:10 Re-use the one from your old hood....or you mean on the one behind headlight?

I mean the one in the center of the grill. The junkyard one didn't have one on when we got it, and the one I was using just recently broke. So now I'm scared I won't be able to open the hood anymore if I put the new grill on.

Maybe I could just take the entire latch assembly off and drive without it? If it's closed properly or shouldn't be an issue.... Right...?

(Current on the car:)

Post by **misha** » 25 Dec 2018, 07:49

Wait for another 850 to show up on a junkyard and grab it.
I'm not sure about removing it completely...it acts like a safety catch if one of side ones fail....otherwise you could end up with broken hood and windshield...if it opens on the road.

crlande · Post by **crlande** » 25 Dec 2018, 10:46

Definitely don't take that one off yet. As Misha pointed out hood could fly open. My safety latch was similar to yours and I forgot to fully close one day, hood lifted, stuck head out window to safely pull over. Ordered new one when I got home. Attach a piece of wire to pull on it, drape it thru the grill temporarily.

shihabafi · Post by **shihabafi** » 10 Mar 2019, 08:32

Alright guys, we've got a bit of a situation. To update you guys on the hood, I found a latch from the junkyard and threw it on. Pictures will come once I get a new phone... (long story...)

now, HERE'S MY SITUATION:

I realized I had a vacuum leak, and I realized where it was coming from. I forgot to put on the EGR gasket. That being said, I spent 2 days and countless hours putting that little devil back in. I took off the speed sensor, idle air control valve, intake air tube, loosened the intake manifold, throttle body, and I think that's it. I popped a hose when I was there (but I patched it up with duct tape and zipties - not 100% good, but it should work, right?) When I took off the throttle body, I thought "since I'm here, why not just clean it off with this carb/intake cleaner I've got laying around? So I did, and I admit, I probably put it on before it dried, but I thought it would dry up within a few minutes of running. I also cleaned a bunch of dried crud from the EGR hole.

Then I turned it on, and it started running really rough. It started making random popping noises. It would choke to death if I took my foot off of the gas. Then I unplugged the MAF sensor, and while it ran a little better, still undrivable. OBDII codes only show a low input from MAF sensor. Now I'm stumped. I've gotta get this car running by tomorrow!

Video of the car running right now: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RyCn8piYSapqKtQQ9

oh boy I'm in trouble...

tardcart · Post by **tardcart** » 10 Mar 2019, 09:00

you will have to retrace your steps and make sure all lines are hooked up and in the right place, and make sure your electrical connections are good. If you removed the intake make sure you didn't snug up the lower support angle bracket bolt until last. It will hold the bottom of the intake off the head if tightened first. so look for major vac leak or unplugged IAC etc. dont fix so many things at once for easier diagnosis. get a 96 for your next car no EGR.

Post by **erikv11** » 10 Mar 2019, 09:58

Checking all the electrical connectors is a good idea. IMO it's totally fine to fix 2+ things at once, makes the wrenching far more efficient. Anyway OP was only fixing the EGR gasket and cleaning the throttle body, hardly a laundry list of repairs.

My prediction: Did you remove the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) from the throttle body before dousing it with carb cleaner? It's that little black, plasic box held on by two small bolts. If not removed, the TPS is probably ruined from getting soaked with cleaner, I did the exact same thing once. Junkyard TPS will 80% likely solve your problem, make sure it is Bosch. The other 20% chance is a big vacuum leak, for example is that bracket on the front right corner of the intake manifold wedged under the manifold and keeping it from mounting properly (super common problem)?

Get a 96 ECU and intake manifold and dump the EGR altogether. That's what I did for my 95.

Post by **abscate** » 10 Mar 2019, 10:07

You've got a bad vacuum leak, and unmetered air will screw up you running

Your duct tape and zip tie repair is first suspect

shihabafi · Post by **shihabafi** » 10 Mar 2019, 14:33

erikv11 wrote: 10 Mar 2019, 09:58
My prediction: Did you remove the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) from the throttle body before dousing it with carb cleaner? It's that little black, plasic box held on by two small bolts. If not removed, the TPS is probably ruined from getting soaked with cleaner, I did the exact same thing once. Junkyard TPS will 80% likely solve your problem, make sure it is Bosch. The other 20% chance is a big vacuum leak, for example is that bracket on the front right corner of the intake manifold wedged under the manifold and keeping it from mounting properly (super common problem)?

Get a 96 ECU and intake manifold and dump the EGR altogether. That's what I did for my 95.

I may have, or may not have, don't remember exactly. Nevertheless I had an old one, and I tried plugging it in - nada. I'll leave the old one plugged in for now, just for safety. But I don't feel that this is the issue, because I turned the car on, and then unplugged the TPS, and it choked to death.

Also, I can do that?

Post by **wizechatmgr** » 10 Mar 2019, 21:18

At least remove that duct tape and try some form of epoxy or see if you can replace what was broken.

Post by **erikv11** » 10 Mar 2019, 21:31

You can't just plug in a TPS to do that test, the TPS must be mounted on the throttle body first.

Unplugging an electronic sensor while the car is running is uniformly not advised on a P80 car, try to never do that.